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COURSE CARE

Weather: Just An Excuse?
February 27, 2015

Weather: Just An Excuse?

By Ty McClellan, Agronomist
June 6, 2008

"
What's wrong with our golf course, and I don't want to hear
any excuses about the weather?
" Believe it or not, this phrase has been uttered on several
occasions this spring, even on the heels of a record-breaking
winter (for some) and in the midst of a prolonged, unseasonably
cool spring (as indicated by the persistent '
La Nina
' phenomenon in which cooler than normal surface waters in the
Pacific Ocean parallel cooler temperatures across the Midwest).
To equate the aforementioned question with on-going
headline news reports, only those out of touch could justify in
their minds asking top dollar for a home and expecting it to be
sold in less than 30 days given the current market conditions.
Unfortunately, this spring has yielded more severe weather
events (i.e. hailstorms, tornadoes and flash flooding) than
favorable golfing days for the fair-weather player.
Consequently, golf course superintendents have been unduly
pressured to produce better course conditions even though some of
the practices will only help in the short-term and are generally
risky for the turf's health over the long summer
season.

To conduct our own investigation, let's look no
further than the ground beneath us. The truth is typical
spring growing conditions across the upper Mid-Continent Region
have been delayed by as many as three weeks. To better
understand, we need only a simple device - a thermometer. A
common food testing thermometer found in any kitchen will
actually suffice. Soil temperatures at the 2-inch depth
(obtained by inserting a thermometer into the soil after removing
a soil plug, as seen in the photo) during recent Turf Advisory
Service visits consistently measure between 55Â°F and 58Â°F.
As a point of reference, soil temperatures must rise into the
60's before vigorous cool-season turfgrass growth and seedling
germination occurs.

Below normal soil temperatures have been
especially difficult for golf courses that suffered winterkill
damage, as turfgrass recovery and seeding efforts have been
marginal at best. Fortunately, with warmer air temperatures
on the horizon, soil temperatures will rise and improvements in
turfgrass growth, density and color should soon follow
suit. In looking for a bright side, disease activity has
been suppressed by the cooler conditions and many courses have
realized a very small savings in their fungicide budget that is,
of course, quickly offset by the rapidly rising costs of fuel and
fertilizer.

So, while some of you are wondering, "What's
wrong with my course?" it might be a more appropriate time to
compliment your golf course superintendent and maintenance staff
for their diligent and timely efforts, especially since the
courses that I have seen thus far are in better than expected
condition given this unseasonable weather. This is due, in
large part, to the admirable job of your superintendent and
maintenance staff.

If you would like more information about a Turf Advisory
Service visit, do not hesitate to contact either of the
Mid-Continent regional offices: Ty McClellan at
tmcclellan@usga.org
or (630) 340-5853 or Bud White at
budwhite@usga.org
or (972) 662-1138.